Develop a Healthy Self-Concept

Your self-concept is how you view yourself.
How you view yourself, determines how you will experience life.

If you see yourself in a
positive and healthy light, your life experiences will be positive
and healthy.

It doesn't mean, of course, that your life will be free of
challenges and adversity, just that you will have a
healthier approach to dealing with them.

If your opinion of yourself is shaky and fragile, you will find
life's challenges overwhelming and at times, insurmountable.

What is your self-concept?

It is the understanding and knowledge you have of your own
existence and how you see yourself in relation to others and to
your surroundings.

In order to possess a positive or healthy self-concept you must:

Know yourself

Love yourself

Be True to yourself

Today we live in an increasingly complex and multifaceted world.
In order to meet the challenges we now face, it is more important
than ever to build a solid personal foundation. A foundation
consisting of self-knowledge, self-love and
self-confidence.

To be sure, a healthy self-concept is more than having
high self-esteem. While high self-esteem is important, the term
itself can be misleading since self-esteem is largely based on
your 'feelings' of self-worth and encompasses your 'beliefs' about
being valuable and capable. It consists of your self-image, either
positive or negative, at an emotional level.

When based on emotion, self-esteem can be wavering and vulnerable
to threats. Likewise, if it's obtained mostly from external
factors, such as an attractive physical appearance, or being
popular, you can feel on top of the world one day, and find
yourself disillusioned or disappointed on the next.

Therefore, a healthy self-concept must derive from within.
Instead of being dependent upon validation from external sources,
or the wavering opinions of others, self-esteem must result from
self-reflection, self-analysis and self-acceptance.

What constitutes a healthy self-concept?

The ability to know yourself; to be able to assess
your strengths, weaknesses, talents and potential.

The ability to love and accept yourself as you
are, knowing that you can improve and develop any aspects of
yourself that you choose.

Developing a healthy self-concept takes deliberate planning and
concentrated effort. It takes acknowledging your intrinsic value
as a human being, and then working to acquire the skills needed to
confront the many challenges and adversities we
encounter in life.

When you posses a healthy self-concept, nothing can rattle you,
or take you off your stride. You are confident,poised, and assured because
you know you are equipped to handle whatever comes your way.